Head of Production

Job Description

Job Title: Head of Production (Hands-On)

Role Overview

We are seeking a hands-on Head of Production with deep experience managing the day-to-day operations of animated films, episodic content, and high-end VFX productions. This role is suited for someone who thrives in spreadsheets, timelines, asset breakdowns, shot tracking, and real-time problem-solvingwhile still leading and motivating production teams. If you love getting into the nitty-gritty of shot plans, character asset dependencies, delivery trackers, and vendor schedulesthis is the role for you.

Key Responsibilities

- Detailed Production Management

Create and manage master production sheets, breakdowns, asset lists, and department-wise task trackers.

Supervise creation of shot-wise schedules, frame ranges, and complexity breakdowns across sequences.

Define and track dependencies between departments (e.g., asset > rigging > animation > lighting > comp).

- Schedule Creation & Tracking

Build granular episode/film timelines, including daily, weekly, and milestone goals.

Monitor progress using tools like Google Sheets, Excel, ShotGrid, fTrack, or custom dashboards.

Maintain real-time status updates of departments and escalate delays or blockers early.

- Asset & Shot Breakdown

Collaborate with Directors, CG Supervisors, and Leads to break down scripts/boards into production-ready plans.

Translate creative inputs into trackable production tasksper asset, per shot, per frame.

Ensure character/environment/FX assets are ready per animation or shot schedule requirements.

- Vendor & Outsourcing Coordination

Prepare clear handoff packages for vendors including shot lists, reference folders, and delivery timelines.

Track incoming and outgoing deliveries with detailed QC, versioning, and notes management.

Manage overlapping internal-external workflows with file naming conventions and structured folder hierarchies.

- Team Oversight & Pipeline Alignment

Lead and mentor a team of Line Producers, Coordinators, and Production Assistants.

Work closely with each department lead (Animation, Lighting, Comp, FX, etc.) to balance load and keep throughput efficient.

Drive adherence to pipeline SOPs while customizing workflows for each projects unique needs.

- Documentation & Client Interface

Maintain all production documentationWBS, trackers, version logs, asset maps, and daily notes.

Represent production during client calls or internal reviews, with up-to-date reports and blockers.

Ensure clarity in communication between creative, tech, and production teams.

Required Skills

Expert in production spreadsheetingnested formulas, conditional formatting, data validation.

Strong working knowledge of ShotGrid, fTrack, or equivalent project tracking tools.

Deep understanding of animation and VFX production lifecycles, from script to final output.

Proven ability to create schedules from scratch, based on script/boards breakdowns.

Ability to multitask across multiple projects or departments under tight timelines.

Familiarity with common production file types and formats (EXR, Alembic, FBX, etc.).

Excellent communicatorable to manage both upward to leadership and across to creative/tech teams.

Preferred Qualifications

Background in animation or VFX production pipelines.

Hands-on experience with scheduling for 4K feature-quality render pipelines.

Ability to work with Unreal Engine/Blender/Maya environments is a plus.

Experience with AI-integrated pipelines or real-time production environments is a bonus.

Personality Fit

You love building order from chaos.

You are calm under pressure and obsessed with delivery discipline.

You are comfortable being the person everyone turns to when things need clarity and structure.

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